King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
On this weeks episode, we discuss King Crimson's 1969 debut: In the Court of the Crimson King.
Not only is In the Court of the Crimson King regarded as one of the greatest and most influential progressive rock (or prog rock) albums of all time, it is considered by many to be the album that defined the genre.
Like all prog rock musicians, Robert Fripp, Greg Lake, Micheal Giles, and Ian McDonald all know their way around their instruments. But what makes King Crimson stand out from those they would influence, and what makes this album worthy of a listen, is that the band never lost the sight of what made a song a song; they weren't interested in excessive musicianship over musicality, and most of In the Court of the Crimson King is hauntingly beautiful.
Based on the band's live performances, established artists such as Pete Townsend and Jimi Hendrix sung the band's praises before the album was ever released. Their performance in front of an estimated 500,00 people in Hyde Park on a bill with the Rolling Stones in July 1969 reinforced that King Crimson was a band to watch. When In the Court of the Crimson King was release later that year, songs like title track and "21st Century Schizoid Man" laid down the foundational building blocks for progressive rock for years to come, and cemented King Crimson as one of the most influential bands to come out of the 1960s.
No Recommendation for this episode.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
King Crimson circa 1969.
Pictured (L to R): Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Michael Giles, and Greg Lake.
Robert Fripp with his first guitar and his sister Patricia.
The many bands of Greg Lake.
Before joining forces with Fripp to form King Crimson, Greg Lake was in several successful bands, including the Unit Four, the Time Checks, the Shame, and the Gods (which also featured at one time future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and Jethro Tull bassist John Gloscock).
Fripp was also in several bands before King Crimson, including the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Pictured (L to R) Robert Fripp, Gordon Haskell, Stan Levy & ‘Tino’ Licinio.
And the precursor to King Crimson, Giles, Giles and Fripp.
Pictured (L to R) Peter Giles. Michael Giles, and Robert Fripp.
Giles, Giles, and Fripp recorded one LP during their short existence, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp, which was a commercial failure.
Moody Blues producer, Tony Clarke (pictured), was brought in to produce King Crimson’s debut. After several false starts, the band realized that he was not the right man for the job and set out to produce the album themselves, which was unprecedented at the time for a band with no albums under their belt.
Peter Sinfield (pictured with Fripp) was the lyricist for the band.
Barry Godber, a friend of Sinfield’s, was commissioned to create the iconic cover for the album. Sinfield’s only instruction to him was that the cover had to “stand out in record shops.”
Here is the album packaging in all of its gate-fold glory. The exterior cover depicts the “schizoid man” from “21 Century Schizoid Man.” The interior cover is said to depict the “Crimson King.”
Pete Townshend was an early fan of the band and called the album a “masterpiece.” The label used that to their advantage for a full page ad in Rolling Stone magazine.
Here’s some 8mm film shot during King Crimson’s performance at the July1969 free concert in Hyde Park. The Rolling Stones headlined. Also on the bill were Third Ear Band, Screw, Alexis Korner's New Church, Roy Harper, Battered Ornaments, and Family.
As odd as it seems, the film Buffalo 66, used the King Crimson song “Moonchild” for a surrealist tap dance number featuring Christina Ricci. Check it our below.
